Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most formidable Democratic presidential candidate, who could "vanquish" the Tea Party in 2016, Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Saturday, according the Washington Post.

Although Election Day is more than three years away, Schumer is the most senior Democratic lawmaker yet to call on Clinton to run for office, the Post says. She is not expected to make a final decision until next year.

"I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president, and when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support," he said Saturday evening during a keynote address to an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser in Des Moines, the Post reports.

"Run, Hillary, run," Schumer's prepared remarks said, according to the Post. "If you run, you'll win, and we'll all win."